


Forever and Ever

by james



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-03
Updated: 2011-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-18 06:46:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/186124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/pseuds/james
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started with a curse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever and Ever

It started about a thousand years ago -- maybe more, but Chin doesn't remember much past then, but he can remember the beginning vividly, so he thinks it's about a thousand or close enough not to matter. He remembers the clothing the best, the colors and soft feel of the silk and the dusty smell of the camels.

He remembers they were traders, he remembers how he was walking along their regular route through the desert, wrapping cloth more tightly around his face to keep the sand out of his mouth. He remembers the arguing, voices from up ahead where the locals have come out to barter, offering food in exchange for whatever they can get. He can still hear the old woman's voice, carrying over the sound of the camels, and he remembers smacking his forehead with his hand because of _course_ Stephanus had managed to piss somebody off.

He remembers the woman's words and he remembers the chill running up and down his spine and he'd known something horrible, terrible, was about to happen.

A thousand years later he's got used to ending up with the same three faces in his life. Sometimes it takes awhile, sometimes he sees them from the very first memories of his new life.

The time he was born as the youngest of four children was not one of his most favorite. He'd spent a lot of time running and hiding from his older siblings' pranks and teasing and he really, really feels sorry for the two who got saddled with being their parents.

But he'd been alone when he'd started this life, and he'd been happy to finally see Kono again, introduced to his newest baby cousin as he was handed a screaming infant to hold in his gangly, teenage arms. She'd opened her eyes and looked at him and Chin had recognised her, seen how her baby mind had recognised him as well. She'd wrinkled her nose, _you again,_ and promptly gone to sleep.

It didn't take long after that to run across Steve -- still getting into trouble, and Chin was just grateful he'd been born first this time and had the advantage of age -- if not wisdom, though Chin would argue he's had that advantage for a thousand years. Kono usually giggles when he says that, and agrees, then she goes off with Steven to do damage like they were marauding hordes once more and not actually officers of the law this time.

Chin does kind of miss the time they were all pirates. It was fun, though he prays that Steve never realises that they had a bit of buried treasure that's still never been found.

After he'd found Steve, he'd expected it wouldn't take long for their band of cursed four to be completely reunited. But then years passed and nothing, and still nothing, until Chin had started to wonder if something had gone wrong.

Or right. He'd felt that stab of jealous pain that maybe their missing fourth had found a way to break the curse, break the leash that bound the four of them together. Sometimes Chin would give anything to have new faces in his life, but most times he knows that the familiarity of them brings him peace in what would otherwise be a life of lifetimes to drive him insane.

Then Chin finds himself with a new job, and Steve and Kono are both there, and they're going to all be working together -- God help the island -- and all Chin has to do is turn around and there is their missing one.

She's so young, and Chin wonders if she'd simply gotten lost, but she smiles at him and takes his hand and she giggles as her father introduces her. Chin crouches down in front of her, solemnly accepting the introduction, and feels the last band of worry relaxing that had been wrapped around his heart.


End file.
